AGRICULTURAL LITERACY IN NIGERIA: A MEANS OF IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD PRODUCTION

Transcription

1 1 AGRICULTURAL LITERACY IN NIGERIA: A MEANS OF IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD PRODUCTION Ngozi J. Department of Agricultural Education, Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku. Abstract There are growing concerns relating to current Nigerian agricultural food production practices and its impact on human nutrition. There is mounting evince that our current food system is responsible for diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Agricultural literacy is possessing knowledge and understanding of our food and fiber system. For citizens to be minimally educated about agricultural practices, agricultural literacy is important for both the individual and for the industries. An individual must be well informed to make responsible choices in matters of food and fiber. Improving agricultural literacy by understanding the needs of the society, as it relates to food consumption and nutritional information is imperative to improving our society s health. Agricultural literacy is an important are of education and research, which will go a long way to bring about changes in societal norms and values. Therefore, educational programmes to assess the needs of the Nigerian populace could be used to improve the Nigerian society understanding of agriculture. Agriculture in Nigeria has been and always will be a vital component of the Nigerian society. The process of agricultural development is a complex on which involves the interplay of many factors. In Nigeria, agricultural development has continued to play a vital role in the history of the nation and in the food and fibre system and its ability to produce food materials for human usage in a system which Nigerians have considered only in terms of application of science and technology. The traditional definition of literacy is the ability to read and write, listen and speak and enumerate. However, in the modern context literacy involves the ability to use and communicate in a diverse range of technologies. In general terms, literacy is a condition whereby one can successfully function at certain levels in a society where literacy plays a role in providing access to power. Essien

2 (2005), maintains that literacy is concerned with the ability to read and write in a language. A literate person is, therefore, someone who is able to read and write in a language or languages. Thus, the standards for what level constitutes literacy differ from society to society. Literacy has also been expanded to include skills in computer, basic numeracy, sound, still and mulling images and graphical elements in digital based communication. Also, it is reported that the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE, 2008) have added visually representing to the list of communicative competences that constitute literacy. Functional literacy is an intellectual equipment for an individual to enable him or her not only to be literate but also perform other tasks that are of benefit to him or her and to the society in which he or she lives (Murray, Flowers, Croom, & Wilson, 2011). It enables people to use their acquired knowledge to promote activities for economic gains or academic performance or gains. It is in the light of the importance of functional literacy to the individual and societal emancipation that the teaching of it in a multilingual environment like, Nigeria attracts a lot of attention. 2 knowledge would be able to synthesize, analyze and communicate basic information about agriculture. This include the production of plant and animal products, the economic impact of agriculture, its societal significance, agriculture s important relationship with natural resources and the environment, the marketing of agricultural product, the global significance of agricultural policies. Agricultural literacy was defined by the National Research Council as the goal of education about agriculture. It has been noted that an agricultural literate population aids in ensuring that citizens make intelligent and informed decisions concerning agricultural policies that benefit the society. A basic agricultural understanding is needed by members of the public. The need for agricultural literacy is becoming increasingly evident. Agriculturally literate people are defined as those who have some knowledge of food and fibre production, processing, marketing and the practical knowledge needed to care for their outdoor environments which include lawns, gardens, recreational areas and parks. Agricultural Literacy Agricultural literacy can be defined as possessing knowledge and understanding of our food and fibre system. An individual possessing such In 1988, the National Research Council Committee on Agricultural Education in America schools proposed that an agriculturally literate person would understand the food and fibre

3 v. Processing of agricultural products; vi. Marketing of agricultural production; vii. Public agricultural policies; viii. Global significance of agriculture; ix. Distribution of agricultural products. system in relation to its history, economic, social and environmental significance (National Research Council, 1988). They went further to define Agricultural Literacy as the goal of education about agriculture. It has been noted that an agriculturally literate population will aid citizens to make intelligent and informed decisions concerning agricultural policies that will benefit the society. Discerning the content and context is an important step in planning education programme, therefore understanding what agricultural literacy should include is an important step in determining the contents of educational programs for the general public. Education unlocks the doors of modernization. It is a general knowledge that no agricultural skill can be acquired without learning (Reidel, Wilson, Flowers & Moore, 2007). Egun (2009), observed that across the country the farmers are aging and there is the urgent need to breed new generation farmers with knowledge, skills and interest in agriculture. Basic agricultural literacy should include knowledge in the following: i. Production of plants and animal products; ii. Economic impact of agriculture; iii. Societal significance of agriculture iv. Agriculture s important relationship with nature resources and the environment; 3 The complexity of agricultural products is clear. Agricultural literacy includes several key components ranging from biological science to social studies and international education (Stewart, Moore & Flowers, 2004). Need for Agricultural Literacy With ever-increasing demands on the education system to produce citizens who are computer literate, second language iterate and also highly skilled in a specific area; does agricultural literacy really matter? Yes it matters because Nigeria plans to feed her own and millions in other African countries as the giant of Africa. There are growing concerns relating to current Nigerian agricultural food production practices and it s impact on human Nutrition (FANG, 2009). There is mounting evidence that our current food system is responsible for diseases such as obesity and diabetes (Miner, 2006). Improving agricultural literacy as it relates to food consumption and nutritional information is imperative, to improving our society s health.

4 For citizens to be minimally educated about agricultural practices agricultural literacy is important for both individuals and for the industries. An individual must be well informed to make responsible choices whether it be in matters of food and fibre. Fear of the unknown often leads to needless public alarm. Agriculturally literate people can make personal informed decisions about agriculture related topics such as food safety genetic engineering and pesticides versus non-pesticide issues. There have been trends and changes in the agricultural industry that may have an impact on agricultural education, considering the fact that the agricultural supply sector has also experienced dramatic changes. Corporate mergers have created multinational conglomerate from what was once an array of more specialized companies focusing on relatively narrow markets, this marketing sector, which is involved in processing and distribution of agricultural products has also undergone considerable changes in recent years. Public knowledge and attitudes about agriculture and agricultural products is in high demand today. Technological changes have had significant impact on all parts of the agricultural industry. The importance and necessity of lifelong learning as it relates to agriculture cannot be denied. The knowledge explosion in the agricultural industry mandates that the general 4 public must continue to learn about agriculture and put useful information into practice. Education programs are changing the actual and potential target audience since agricultural education has expanded. Education for farmers is a critical area of need, but others who want to venture into agriculture also have needs related to agricultural education that should be addressed. The primary intention to make people agriculturally literate would be, to encourage the growth of a society which possess knowledge and understanding of our food and fibre system. Any individual possessing such knowledge would be able to synthesize, analyze and communicate basic information about agriculture. Goals of Agricultural Literacy The main intension to make people agriculturally literate is to achieve an awareness and understanding of the significance of agriculture to the lives of all people. The goals of agricultural literacy therefore are: i. To assist citizens establishing personal business. ii. iii. iv. To enhance the self confidence and decision making skills of Nigerian populace To develop agricultural leaders To maintain the local agricultural knowledge and technology base v. To improve the home, living and business conditions of persons

5 employed, or entering agricultural business. vi. To encourage farmers to participate in co-operative efforts vii. To enable Nigerians to become successfully established farmers viii. To improve the people s current agricultural status and to increase their net farm income ix. To improve understanding and communication between the general pubic, consumer and the agricultural community regarding common concern and issues x. To improve the managerial efficiency through sound decision making for those engaged in production and non-production agricultural careers. xi. xii. To improve the safety practices of agriculturists. To encourage the use of practices that protects and conserves natural resources to maintain a good environment for everyone. xiii. To assist local producers in the development of marketing plans that are tailored to their individual needs xiv. To assist local producers in developing strategies to make optimum use of agricultural support agencies to improve food production. 5 Factors Affecting Agricultural Literacy Agricultural illiteracy is a potential threat to our country Nigeria, when majority of the people of a nation s population lacks basic understanding of the industry which produces and distributes the food needed to satisfy one of the most basic of all human needs. The dilemma facing advocates of agricultural illiteracy programmes include developing education plans, which includes meeting the needs of the society to have agricultural illiterate members and providing learning experiences which are desirable, informative and useful for them. Factors affecting agricultural literacy are as follows: i. The inability and unwillingness in making proper choices about how to modernize farming appropriately and also about balancing costs, risks, benefits and uncertainties as a result of both poor technical training (Competences) and managerial training. ii. Developing education plans which combine meeting the needs of the society to have agricultural literate members and providing learning experiences which are desirable information for the general public is difficult. iii. Low voluntary participation in getting sound agricultural

6 knowledge is one of the obvious constraints of agricultural literacy. iv. The broadcasting media in Nigeria is associated with poor reception quality and the areas covered are small. The messages carried are not tailored to the needs of the farmers especially those in the rural areas. Even when the information is relevant, it is seldom aired at the proper time and so does not get to the target audience. v. Inadequate policy programme that will be able to meet the needs of the society is also a problem. A development policy program in Nigeria is seldom felt by the farmers because they are poorly disseminated. The programs provided by government is exclusively focused on policy markers, researchers and those who manage policy decision with scant attention paid to the needs of the targeted beneficiaries of the policy decisions. Prospect of Agricultural Literacy Agricultural literacy introduces and demonstrates new technologies to the farmers to better prepare them to enter the workforce in order to meet industrial needs of agriculture. It will help to evaluate the perceived level of competence of farmers regarding professional competencies that were identified by previous research and related to issues of their respective fields. 6 Agricultural literacy achieved through education is the key to a nations ability to develop and achieve sustainable development targets. It is the intellectual equipment for an individual farmer or group of farmers to enable them not only be literate, but also perform other tasks that will be of great benefit to them and the society. It will enable farmers to use their acquired knowledge to promote activities for economic gains by improving their food production, processing and marketing activities. Fear of the unknown which leads to needless alarm will be a thing of the past. Agriculturally literate farmers will be able to make personal informed decisions about agriculture related topics such as food safety, genetic engineering and pesticides issues. There will always be a need of not only to develop a work force but also to provide opportunities for educating and updating those individuals involved in our nation s number one industry, agriculture. Achievements of Agricultural Literacy The factors affecting agricultural literacy not withstanding notable achievements has been made through the process. There have been trends and changes in the agricultural industry that may have an impact on education in agriculture, considering the fact that the agricultural supply sector

7 has also experienced dramatic changes. Corporate mergers have crated multinational conglomerate from what was once an array of more specialized companies focusing on relatively narrow markets, this marketing sector, which is involved with the processing and distribution of agricultural products has also undergone considerable changes in recent years. Public knowledge and attitudes about agriculture and agricultural product is in high demand today. Technological changes have had significant impact on all parts of the agricultural industry. In addition, communication technologies have influence and will continue to influence the information delivery system (Sigman, 2007). The importance and necessity of lifelong learning as it relates to agriculture cannot be denied. The knowledge explosion in the agricultural industry mandates that all farmers and intending farmers must continued to learn about agriculture and put useful information into practice. Education programmes are changing the actual and potential target audience since agricultural education has expanded. Agricultural educated consumers now realize and appreciate the bargain prices offered by government for their abundant safe food supply. Summary and Conclusion Conclusively, the complexity of agricultural literacy is clear. It includes several key components ranging from biological science to social studies to international education. 7 The mission of agricultural education is to provide the opportunity for educating the public for entry into agricultural occupations and educating them for the improvement of job skills that empower them to be more productive and efficient in their current jobs or entrepreneurial enterprises, and as such improve food production practices and its impact on human nutrition. Agricultural literacy programmes should be conducted according to the needs of the farmers with the use of television media, currently popular information sources including books, movies, and websites which discuss some of the issues in agricultural industry and promote consumer knowledge related to topics such as corporate food production, environmental changes, organic food movement and human nutrition. These media sources encourage and promote various agricultural view points for consumers using testimonials, powerful oral and visual imagery. Recommendations To achieve these, the following has to be taking into consideration: i. There should be adequate training and extension services which will go a long way in finding solutions to these problems. ii. The reception of the broadcasting media in Nigeria should be

8 iii. iv. improved and the information carried out should be tailored to the needs of the farmers. There should be adequate policy programs that will be able to meet the needs of the society. The programs should be focused on the targeted beneficiaries of the policy decisions. There should be the ability and willingness in making proper choices about how to modernize farming appropriately and also about balancing cost, risks, benefits and uncertainties through improved technical training (competence) and managerial training. v. Education plans which combine meeting the needs of the society to have agriculturally literate members and providing learning experiences which are desirable information for the general public should be developed. People need high level of agricultural literacy as it is imperative that consumers and government policy makers alike understand the role of science in agriculture so that they may utilize scientific decisions concerning food References Egun, A.C. (2009). Focusing Agriculture Educators for Better Productivity in Nigeria in the 21st 8 Century. International Journal of Education and Science 1(2), Essien, O. (2005). Literacy in the Mother Tongue: A Case Study of Problems of Linguistic Minorities in Nigeria. I Appl. Lit. Reading 2(2), Miner, J. (2006). Market Incentives could bring US Agriculture and Nutrition Policies into accord. California Agriculture. Murray, K.A.; Flowers, J.L.; Croom, D.B. & Wilson, E.B. (2011). The Agricultural Teachers Struggle for Balance Between Career and Family. Journal of Agricultural Education, 52 (2), doi: /jae National Council of Teachers of English, (NCTE, 2008). The Definition of 21st Century Literacies adopted by the NCTE executive committee. Reidel, J.S.; Wilson, E.B.; Flowers, J.L. & Moore, G.E. (2007). Effect of An Introductory Agricultural Education Course on Agricultural Literacy and Perceptions of Agriculture in Urban Students, Southern Journal of Agricultural Education Research, 57(1), Sigman, A. (2007). Visual Voodoo: the biological impact of watching

9 television. Biologist 54(1), Stewart, R.M.; Moore, G.E. & Flowers, J.L. (2004). Emerging Educational and Agricultural Trends and Their Impact on the Secondary Agricultural Education Programme. Journal of Vocational Education Research 29(1)